Base-Breaking Character: For pro wrestling fans in general. There are many who are either in the industry itself or big fans of wrestling that despise him for 'exposing the business' with his gimmicky unrealistic moves that involves things like the "Penis Plex". Others consider the "golden age" of Kayfabe dead and buried, with everyone knowing that wrestling is staged and such the only thing that matters is getting over and drawing fans to shows.
You’ll find very few people willing to go to bat for him now, and those that do will only defend Joey Ryan the wrestling character, not Joseph Meehan the man behind it.
Broken Base: The "Penis Power/King of Dong Style" gimmick for his own fans, after it started showing up outside of Dramatic Dream Team. Some think it's hilarious and enjoy that it's caught on and become another source of merchandise for him, others think it's stupidity and no longer want anything to do with him as a result.
Crosses the Line Twice: His proposes to his girlfriend mid-match then pins her while she's distracted by said proposal.
Harsher in Hindsight: In large part everything about the "King of Dong Style" and "Legalize Sleaze" gimmicks after a slew of allegations accusing Ryan of sexual assault and other unpleasant accusations were released.
Older Than They Think: Joey had been wrestling since 2000, which was around 12 years prior to appearing in TNA and 15 years prior to the explosion in popularity resulting from footage of his Penis Power gimmick in DDT going viral. A lot of cynical traditionalist type fans (the kind that usually subscribe wholeheartedly to the views of his detractors like Jim Cornette) often repeat the misconception that he is just a flash in the pan, without realizing how long he has been in the business. (Cornette, who actually had worked a few promotions with Ryan before the viral video, and favored Tyler Black, said Ryan was a preliminary wrestler who had to do increasingly ludicrous things to stay over, which is a bit more accurate, whether or not you think it's a bad thing.)
